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Amelia's Gold
As hopes for the Confederacy ebb, the sheltered daughter of a wealthy Savannah merchant finds herself escorting a shipment of family gold to safety in The Bahamas. She soon faces political intrigue, shipwreck, and servitude in a makeshift island hospital of embittered Yankee and Rebel soldiers. Yes, disasters and pandemics do destroy lives. They can also shatter old ways of living and unearth hidden reservoirs of courage. This is the story of how they forged one young woman anew.
374 pages, Paperback
Published March 29, 2020
9 people are currently reading
2175 people want to read
About the author
James D. Snyder
20 books35 followers James D. Snyder, author of the newly-released The Music Makers, has won numerous awards for historical fiction novels ranging from the genesis of Christianity to the Spanish discovery of Florida to the story of a young woman caught up in high-stakes blockade-running during the Civil War. “The common thread among them,” he says, “is an effort to help the reader grasp the essence of a dramatic historical period through the lives of individuals who lived through it.”
In addition to his novels, author Snyder writes and speaks about the colorful history surrounding his home on the Loxahatchee River in South Florida. Five Thousand Years on the Loxahatchee is a pictorial history of Jupiter-Tequesta, FL while Black Gold and Silver Sands describes the hard-scrabble beginnings of Palm Beach county. A Trip Down the Loxahatchee shows the river’s beauty through the eyes of 52 painters and photographers. Life and Death on the Loxahatchee tells the story of a larger-than-life “Tarzan” who fascinated locals until his mysterious death. A Light in the Wilderness shows how a lone lighthouse in forlorn Jupiter became the magnet that drew a throng of early settlers.
Jim Snyder has been a writer and editor since graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and The George Washington University graduate school of political science. Beginning in the 1970s he founded what would become the largest independent Washington news bureau for business and medical magazines. In 1984 it became Enterprise Communications Inc., with its own magazines and trade shows.
In 1997, when the company was sold to Thomson-Reuters Corp., Snyder was able to pursue a second career as author-historian. Today he is also active in several organizations to protect the Loxahatchee River and its rich history.
In addition to his novels, author Snyder writes and speaks about the colorful history surrounding his home on the Loxahatchee River in South Florida. Five Thousand Years on the Loxahatchee is a pictorial history of Jupiter-Tequesta, FL while Black Gold and Silver Sands describes the hard-scrabble beginnings of Palm Beach county. A Trip Down the Loxahatchee shows the river’s beauty through the eyes of 52 painters and photographers. Life and Death on the Loxahatchee tells the story of a larger-than-life “Tarzan” who fascinated locals until his mysterious death. A Light in the Wilderness shows how a lone lighthouse in forlorn Jupiter became the magnet that drew a throng of early settlers.
Jim Snyder has been a writer and editor since graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and The George Washington University graduate school of political science. Beginning in the 1970s he founded what would become the largest independent Washington news bureau for business and medical magazines. In 1984 it became Enterprise Communications Inc., with its own magazines and trade shows.
In 1997, when the company was sold to Thomson-Reuters Corp., Snyder was able to pursue a second career as author-historian. Today he is also active in several organizations to protect the Loxahatchee River and its rich history.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 21, 2020
Amelia’s Gold begins with twenty four year old Amelia Beach, a privileged young woman living in Savannah, Georgia. The time is December, 1863. Amelia spends
much of her time playing a pianoforte, as her mother suggests this is the way to “catch a solider”. Within a few months, Amelia is persuaded by her father to make a journey
to Nassau, Bahamas onboard a British vessel.
During Amelia's time in Nassau, she meets many people who are very different
from what she experienced in Savannah. As Felix DuBois, one of the other principal characters stated: "Life leads us - sometimes lures us - down unplanned pathways”. After several months Amelia leaves Nassau on the same ship. This time the destination is Wilmington, North Carolina. But, tragedy strikes when the ship is sunk by Union forces and Amelia is one of only six people to survive. They reach land in
a lifeboat, but it is not Wilmington. It is Portsmouth Island in the Okracoke Inlet area. Here this “rich man’s pampered daughter” is transformed into a resourceful, caring, self-taught nurse at a poverty-stricken maritime hospital . She inspires the community of Portsmouth Island to work together to help each other as well as to help the men (Union and Confederate) in the hospital.
The subtitle of the book is "A novel of romance, ruin, resolve, and redemption in the American Civil War”. Amelia’s Gold is all of that, but for me the best part - the most heartwarming part - is redemption. A really good read!
much of her time playing a pianoforte, as her mother suggests this is the way to “catch a solider”. Within a few months, Amelia is persuaded by her father to make a journey
to Nassau, Bahamas onboard a British vessel.
During Amelia's time in Nassau, she meets many people who are very different
from what she experienced in Savannah. As Felix DuBois, one of the other principal characters stated: "Life leads us - sometimes lures us - down unplanned pathways”. After several months Amelia leaves Nassau on the same ship. This time the destination is Wilmington, North Carolina. But, tragedy strikes when the ship is sunk by Union forces and Amelia is one of only six people to survive. They reach land in
a lifeboat, but it is not Wilmington. It is Portsmouth Island in the Okracoke Inlet area. Here this “rich man’s pampered daughter” is transformed into a resourceful, caring, self-taught nurse at a poverty-stricken maritime hospital . She inspires the community of Portsmouth Island to work together to help each other as well as to help the men (Union and Confederate) in the hospital.
The subtitle of the book is "A novel of romance, ruin, resolve, and redemption in the American Civil War”. Amelia’s Gold is all of that, but for me the best part - the most heartwarming part - is redemption. A really good read!
May 22, 2020
I've read almost every book James Snyder has written. He is a great writer of stories and history. This book contains both, a good story with some mystery, and the history of the Civil War swirling around a young girl and her adventures from Savannah to Nassau and NC. Enjoyed it so much I took my time reading it and did not want it to end.
July 5, 2020
If you enjoyed The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd, then this book is for you.
In the midst of the American Civil War, 24 year old Amelia Beach is restless and disinclined toward the social norms applicable to young well bred ladies of affluent families. Amelia’s father, Savannah’s largest cotton broker and trader of war necessities, is a well established and esteemed leader in The South. However, as the war is proceeding at a fast pace, Mr. Beach is at great risk of loosing his mass accumulation of wealth. With his only son away at war, he approaches his daughter Amelia with a plan that would require an untested boldness on her part and even could put her life in danger.
Amelia readily agrees and thus begins her adventure to secretly remove gold bars from Mr. Beach’s bank in Savannah to a bank on the neutral island of Nassau. Unsure of herself, she begins this daring adventure with the family’s fortune at stake. She crosses paths with many characters including the handsome captain of the Sea Breeze (her father’s ship used for blockade running); the surly banker in Nassau as well as his outgoing wife; black market profiteers; and the manager of the Royal Victoria Hotel where the island’s social life is centered. Without any contact from her father, she alone must decide who to trust.
The author draws you in to the island’s natural charm, landscapes, pace of life, and exquisitely beautiful water. However, nothing is perfect as she quickly discovers there is a darker side to the island which she must learn to navigate. This becomes the backdrop where Amelia experiences a metamorphosis into a strong, confident woman.
When the story takes a disastrous turn, an unlikely and quirkish character, Mr. Felix DuBois, emerges to the forefront of the novel where the author brilliantly develops his character to become indispensable to Amelia. Combining his knowledge of human nature and spirit with Amelia's new confidence and fortitude, the two team up to accomplish what is seemingly impossible.
The novel is well researched weaving in many lesser known historical facts and has enough surprising twists to sustain the momentum of the book. Be prepared to discover Blackbeard’s lost gold; experience a blockade run; barter on the black market; spend time at a remote medical hospital; and maybe even experience a first love.
In the midst of the American Civil War, 24 year old Amelia Beach is restless and disinclined toward the social norms applicable to young well bred ladies of affluent families. Amelia’s father, Savannah’s largest cotton broker and trader of war necessities, is a well established and esteemed leader in The South. However, as the war is proceeding at a fast pace, Mr. Beach is at great risk of loosing his mass accumulation of wealth. With his only son away at war, he approaches his daughter Amelia with a plan that would require an untested boldness on her part and even could put her life in danger.
Amelia readily agrees and thus begins her adventure to secretly remove gold bars from Mr. Beach’s bank in Savannah to a bank on the neutral island of Nassau. Unsure of herself, she begins this daring adventure with the family’s fortune at stake. She crosses paths with many characters including the handsome captain of the Sea Breeze (her father’s ship used for blockade running); the surly banker in Nassau as well as his outgoing wife; black market profiteers; and the manager of the Royal Victoria Hotel where the island’s social life is centered. Without any contact from her father, she alone must decide who to trust.
The author draws you in to the island’s natural charm, landscapes, pace of life, and exquisitely beautiful water. However, nothing is perfect as she quickly discovers there is a darker side to the island which she must learn to navigate. This becomes the backdrop where Amelia experiences a metamorphosis into a strong, confident woman.
When the story takes a disastrous turn, an unlikely and quirkish character, Mr. Felix DuBois, emerges to the forefront of the novel where the author brilliantly develops his character to become indispensable to Amelia. Combining his knowledge of human nature and spirit with Amelia's new confidence and fortitude, the two team up to accomplish what is seemingly impossible.
The novel is well researched weaving in many lesser known historical facts and has enough surprising twists to sustain the momentum of the book. Be prepared to discover Blackbeard’s lost gold; experience a blockade run; barter on the black market; spend time at a remote medical hospital; and maybe even experience a first love.
March 11, 2022
Two boys find treasure and split it; one disappears and one figures out how to use it to build a fortune and change his station in life, grows up to be a successful and prescient Confederate business owner who sends his daughter, with the family gold, to the Bahamas to preserve the family fortune. She falls for the Sea Captain hired by her father to escort her, though there was very little to indicate any attachment, and certainly any emotion, between them.
Things get yawningly complicated, banking shenanigans, political gossip, shipping intrigue, profiteers, and naval blockades. But our naive, sheltered belle suffers no real hardship, trusts strangers, and hands over the family gold without paperwork, wondering only after the fact if she is being too trusting. Mild drama ensues and they manage to secret the gold off Nassau, but she ultimately trusts the wrong people and loses the family gold back to the bottom of the sea. No big deal, no consequences; the gold is never mentioned again. She and her companions wind up coerced into running a hospital, where she spends a few months making improvements, learning what work is, and learning humility. Meantime, the good captain recedes into illness and nearly disappears from the narrative and her other companions turn out to be men of good character.
Losing the gold, and losing her virginity, don’t really seem to phase our gullible heroine, who then parts with another item of value without a receipt.
So if this was supposed to be a romance, it lacked any emotional or physical connection between any of the characters. If it was supposed to be historical fiction, moving it to the Bahamas for the bulk of the book completely disassociated it from all action. The portions that took place on the North Carolina coast were well researched and interesting, but again, quite removed from much of the drama. The glimpses into their lives, however, as this motley crew of island residents, ill and injured Union and Confederate soldiers, freed slaves, and the shipwrecked crew waited for the war to play out, provide some of the only compelling parts of the story, but we never learn their ultimate fate.
Maybe it was coming of age? Our eponymous and, when it came to slavery, tone deaf Amelia did broaden her mind and her horizons as she lost her family’s fortune, but only to a point. Late in the book she takes a boat ride with another woman and actually utters, “I feel so emancipated.” Um, really?
There were some important themes, even a nod to a Black openly homosexual Frenchman. But though it could have delved into the attitudes toward slavery on the borders between North and South in the waning days of the the Civil War, it never really invested in anything. There were a few interesting reveals in the end, one I predicted and one I did not, which did tie up a few loose ends, but hardly enough to lead to a satisfactory conclusion overall.
Basically this was a story full of bland characters and awkward inner dialogue that meandered around some important topics. Most of the characters basically waited around for something to happen. For me, I was waiting for it to end.
Things get yawningly complicated, banking shenanigans, political gossip, shipping intrigue, profiteers, and naval blockades. But our naive, sheltered belle suffers no real hardship, trusts strangers, and hands over the family gold without paperwork, wondering only after the fact if she is being too trusting. Mild drama ensues and they manage to secret the gold off Nassau, but she ultimately trusts the wrong people and loses the family gold back to the bottom of the sea. No big deal, no consequences; the gold is never mentioned again. She and her companions wind up coerced into running a hospital, where she spends a few months making improvements, learning what work is, and learning humility. Meantime, the good captain recedes into illness and nearly disappears from the narrative and her other companions turn out to be men of good character.
Losing the gold, and losing her virginity, don’t really seem to phase our gullible heroine, who then parts with another item of value without a receipt.
So if this was supposed to be a romance, it lacked any emotional or physical connection between any of the characters. If it was supposed to be historical fiction, moving it to the Bahamas for the bulk of the book completely disassociated it from all action. The portions that took place on the North Carolina coast were well researched and interesting, but again, quite removed from much of the drama. The glimpses into their lives, however, as this motley crew of island residents, ill and injured Union and Confederate soldiers, freed slaves, and the shipwrecked crew waited for the war to play out, provide some of the only compelling parts of the story, but we never learn their ultimate fate.
Maybe it was coming of age? Our eponymous and, when it came to slavery, tone deaf Amelia did broaden her mind and her horizons as she lost her family’s fortune, but only to a point. Late in the book she takes a boat ride with another woman and actually utters, “I feel so emancipated.” Um, really?
There were some important themes, even a nod to a Black openly homosexual Frenchman. But though it could have delved into the attitudes toward slavery on the borders between North and South in the waning days of the the Civil War, it never really invested in anything. There were a few interesting reveals in the end, one I predicted and one I did not, which did tie up a few loose ends, but hardly enough to lead to a satisfactory conclusion overall.
Basically this was a story full of bland characters and awkward inner dialogue that meandered around some important topics. Most of the characters basically waited around for something to happen. For me, I was waiting for it to end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2022
I received a copy of "Amelia's Gold" from the goodreads giveaway. Ameilia Beach is a wealthy young woman who lives in Savannah Georgia with her family. It is during the Civil War. Amelia's father became a wealthy man. Much of his money came from Gold he found with a friend while fishing as a teenager. Now the father needs to move the gold to a different country. His only son is fighting in the war and he asks Amelia to go on a British ship with the gold and store it in the Bahama's. She spends many months there with the war still going on in the states. After some time she has to move the gold again but on the way on the ship she is on it sinks. She is one of six survivors on a raft that ends up in North Carolina. The war is still raging and she ends up helping as a "learn on the job nurse"
During the book she learns who she can trust and who betrays her. I enjoy historical history and this is a good read. The author James D. Snyder does a good job creating the characters and making the story look true to the time it took place.
During the book she learns who she can trust and who betrays her. I enjoy historical history and this is a good read. The author James D. Snyder does a good job creating the characters and making the story look true to the time it took place.
February 21, 2022
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.
The story follows young Amelia Beach, the daughter of a prosperous Savannah, Georgia businessman in the midst of the Civil War. Amelia’s adventures in trying to save her father’s fortune and ensure the solvency of the Confederacy lead her from Savannah to the Bahamas to the Carolina barrier islands.
While I enjoyed the characters, particularly Amelia and her friend, the mixed-race French Caribbean Felix DuBois, I found the story somewhat uneven. Highlights in the story for me were the story of how Amelia’s father came into his fortune and the way Amelia and her fellow shipwreck survivors take on a derelict and forgotten government island hospital. There is a twist at the end that is too twisty to be believed, but I have to admit it came out of the blue.
Cringe moments came in the trope chubby ‘Mamie’ character and the dialect of the black characters.
The story follows young Amelia Beach, the daughter of a prosperous Savannah, Georgia businessman in the midst of the Civil War. Amelia’s adventures in trying to save her father’s fortune and ensure the solvency of the Confederacy lead her from Savannah to the Bahamas to the Carolina barrier islands.
While I enjoyed the characters, particularly Amelia and her friend, the mixed-race French Caribbean Felix DuBois, I found the story somewhat uneven. Highlights in the story for me were the story of how Amelia’s father came into his fortune and the way Amelia and her fellow shipwreck survivors take on a derelict and forgotten government island hospital. There is a twist at the end that is too twisty to be believed, but I have to admit it came out of the blue.
Cringe moments came in the trope chubby ‘Mamie’ character and the dialect of the black characters.
October 17, 2020
I won this book one Goodreads First reads Thank you!
The book Amelia’s Gold begins with 24 year old Amelia Beach, who is a privileged young woman who is living in Savannah, Georgia. Within a few months, Amelia is persuaded by her father to make a journeyto Nassau, Bahamas onboard a British vessel.
During Amelia's time in Nassau, she meets many people who are different
from what she experienced in Savannah.
She is transformed into a resourceful, caring, self-taught nurse at a poverty-stricken maritime hospital. She inspires the community of this Portsmouth Island to work together to help each other out as well as to help the men of the Union and Of the Confederate in the hospital.
This book is a really great read and I can’t wait to read more by James Snyder.
The book Amelia’s Gold begins with 24 year old Amelia Beach, who is a privileged young woman who is living in Savannah, Georgia. Within a few months, Amelia is persuaded by her father to make a journeyto Nassau, Bahamas onboard a British vessel.
During Amelia's time in Nassau, she meets many people who are different
from what she experienced in Savannah.
She is transformed into a resourceful, caring, self-taught nurse at a poverty-stricken maritime hospital. She inspires the community of this Portsmouth Island to work together to help each other out as well as to help the men of the Union and Of the Confederate in the hospital.
This book is a really great read and I can’t wait to read more by James Snyder.
July 29, 2020
I was fortunate to win a copy of Amelia's Gold via a Goodreads Kindle giveaway. The book is a page-turner and, for those interested in the Civil War period, would be an enjoyable read. The author does a fine job of describing the escapades of the blockade runners and war profiteers. However, the story seems to be split in two distinct parts without a cohesive flow tying the two together. One of the main characters in the first part of the book virtually disappears in the second part without a full explanation. The character of Amelia was finely drawn but the remaining key characters were not fleshed out.
April 6, 2022
Amelia’s Gold takes place during the Civil War. Amelia and her parents live in Savannah, a confederate state. Her father is concerned that Union soldiers might come to their home and find the gold he has hidden there. So, he asks Amelia to take the gold on one of his ships to Nassau in the Bahamas and to keep it safe there. It was supposed to be only for two weeks and she would return home. That’s not what happened. The weeks and months dragged on for Amelia. Unfortunately, it seemed to drag on for this reader as well.
March 20, 2022
Thanks to the author and Goodreads Giveaways for the copy of this book! I normally love Civil War historical fiction, but I had a hard time getting into this one. The characters were a bit bland, the storyline was not very cohesive and it just left me very uninterested.
The author’s love for history was apparent and he pays a great deal of attention to detail so I have a feeling his nonfiction works are his strong suit.
The author’s love for history was apparent and he pays a great deal of attention to detail so I have a feeling his nonfiction works are his strong suit.
July 11, 2020
A great book. I am a fan of historical fiction, but it has to have good characters, a good story line and historical accuracy. Jim Snyder has given us all that and more. The story and characters were so engaging I found my self finishing it in two big gulps instead of sipping it over a week or more. Well worth the read.
September 9, 2020
(I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but all opinions in this review are my own.)
While the historical research seems to be solid, the characters are stilted and lack the depth that is necessary to draw the readers into the story. To be fair, this may be an interesting book once you get further into it, but I just couldn't keep on reading.
While the historical research seems to be solid, the characters are stilted and lack the depth that is necessary to draw the readers into the story. To be fair, this may be an interesting book once you get further into it, but I just couldn't keep on reading.
September 14, 2020
I won an ebook Kindle edition copy. The history of boats like the Sea Breeze and their use was new to me. Young, privileged Amelia is thrust into a world completely different from her life in the south. In order to save the family gold, Amelia's father needs her help to travel on the Sea Breeze with the gold. She meets different types of individuals some of who are crooked. Some reviews said the characters are stilted and the story lacks depth. But I really enjoyed this story and the characters.
July 29, 2022
Even though Amelia's Gold is listed as historical fiction and takes place during the Civil War in the South it doesn't have much history to it. I found the characters dull and boring. The plot itself is disjointed pieces attempting to be put together. I did not get immersed in Mr.Snyder's novel and I was left disappointed.
June 28, 2020
I did not like how the author kept telling the reader all of the characters’ thoughts, as it made them less intriguing and took mystery away from the plot. Historical aspect is interesting, but I couldn’t get past the writing style and lack of character growth.
December 22, 2020
I enjoyed reading this book. It covered a period and subject in history that I have not often encountered in historical fiction. It is interesting how Mr. Snyder tied the beginning to the end of the story with a bit of a surprise.
February 26, 2022
Amelia seemed to be always searching for her true self. Sadly, it only took a war, a trip to a foreign country and an unscrupulous man to teach her that she was something of value. Amelia discovered it was not the "gold" that nourished one's soul.
September 29, 2020
Engaging
The characters were alive and the historical content intriguing. I loved the ending and wished for more. A must read.
The characters were alive and the historical content intriguing. I loved the ending and wished for more. A must read.
September 29, 2020
Great read
November 20, 2020
Amelia Gold is Outstanding
Outstanding Story. Enchanting with much history and its a page turner. Brings to mind a can't stop READING BOOK its this one Amelia's Gold
Outstanding Story. Enchanting with much history and its a page turner. Brings to mind a can't stop READING BOOK its this one Amelia's Gold
March 21, 2024
Wonderful storytelling. Loved this book
February 23, 2022
This October 31, 2021, Goodreads giveaway looks like an interesting historical fiction novel about the Civil War in the South, and I'm beginning to think it got lost in the mail.
I finally received "Amelia's Gold" at the end of January and decided to take it with me on a winter vacation getaway. I really liked it, but it definitely wasn't a quick beach read, so I read most of it after I returned home. The novel starts out as a historical romance. As I continued to read I felt that the implied romance seemed to fade and then there were several twists and turns and plenty of interesting history. I enjoyed reading about the way the Southern states attempted to avoid the ship blockades as they attempted to retain their wealth.
I finally received "Amelia's Gold" at the end of January and decided to take it with me on a winter vacation getaway. I really liked it, but it definitely wasn't a quick beach read, so I read most of it after I returned home. The novel starts out as a historical romance. As I continued to read I felt that the implied romance seemed to fade and then there were several twists and turns and plenty of interesting history. I enjoyed reading about the way the Southern states attempted to avoid the ship blockades as they attempted to retain their wealth.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews